The marine environment and process of marine systems bear a direct relationship to problems of environmental health. Marine systems are particularly useful as models for specific terrestrial environmental processes. Establishment of the Duke University Marine Biomedical Center will encourage productive interactions between established investigators having expertise in various aspects of medical and marine sciences. The research goals of the center will be to gain an understanding of the mechanisms involved in the adaptation of man and other organisms to an environment that is both hostile and continually changing. Emphasis will be on the biochemical and biological impact of metallic pollutants. The primary function of the Administrative core Unit will be to stimulate research and information exchange concerning problems in the marine sciences that are related to environmental health. Strong ties with the Duke University Medical Center will facilitate the transfer of research findings of the Core Center to the medical community. In addition to administrative functions, the Administrative Unit will coordinate lectures, meetings, and a visiting scholar program. The Facilities and Services Unit will make available to participants and associates of the center a number of laboratory services and special equipment items capable of analyzing pollutant effects. Few other laboratories have equal capabilities for examining the chemical nature of the environment and the biochemical and organisms. The Research Core Unit will focus on: 1) the effects of metal and non-metal pollutants on respiratory proteins and electron transport proteins, 2) the effects of metal and non-metal pollutants on larval development of various invertebrates, 3) pollutant toxicology using blood as a model organ, 4) behavioral aspects of pollution of estuarine and marine systems, 5) the role of metal and non-metal pollutants in processes associated with animal, plant and artificial membrane systems, 6) pollutant effects on differentiation of cation tolerance in the ontogeny of the marine organisms and 7) accumulation of heavy metals by marine microplankton. In the development of the center, feasibility studies by participants will be used to extend and integrate the ongoing research programs.